


October 33rd

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 15:05:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6663529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>CJ did not stop her task.  Instead of being stunned into inaction, she was the opposite.  If she stopped she would crumble, and Leo knew that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	October 33rd

"What's today's date?" one of the interns shouted. 

CJ looked up from the Concord Review. 

"Halloween was 2 days ago Adrienne. Take a wild guess." 

The intern looked at her. 

"October 33rd?" the intern asked. 

Josh, sitting in a tipped up chair, laughed so hard that he hit the floor. Everyone in the room laughed. CJ's tone was incredulous as she replied, 

"You're fucking kidding me right? Aren't you a college student?" 

"Yeah...I go to Brown." 

"Today is November 2nd; Election Day is tomorrow. Now that I think about it, don't bother to vote." She closed the magazine and went to find Toby. "Someone please pick Josh up from the floor." 

* * *

"Where is everyone?" CJ asked. 

She and Josh were out on the sun porch with two six-packs of Sam Adams. The radio played The Commodores Easy. They were relaxing, CJ's long body across one of the couches. Josh sat in a chair with his feet on the ottoman. 

"Toby and Sam are holed up somewhere writing two very different speeches for tomorrow night or Wednesday morning. With McCallum actually posting numbers now, not even the pollsters know which way to go. Donna and Margaret are in full organizational mode...cleaning and packing the offices." 

"What about Leo and the Governor?" 

"Mrs. Bartlet actually got the Governor down early. He is back to at least 85%, but that is not good enough for her. I don't know where Leo is." Josh lied. "Did he leave you a voicemail or something?" 

"I don't think so." 

CJ grabbed her cell phone from her hip, dialing in her code. Six old voicemails, all from Leo, but nothing new. She would eventually have to erase those. 

"I don't have anything. You know where he is, don't you?" 

"No. Why would you ask me that?" 

CJ shrugged. Josh always knew three things more than he was willing to admit. She changed the subject. 

"October 33rd, do you believe that shit?" 

Josh began to laugh again, a bit of beer dribbling onto his shirt. 

"I think I fractured my hipbone when I fell out of that chair." He replied. 

"What is wrong with kids these days?" CJ groaned. "Christ, I sound like my father. Forget I asked that question." She finished her beer, put the empty back in the box and opened another. 

"Where is everyone?" 

CJ and Josh looked up at Leo standing at the door. He was making an attempt to be casual...pressed slacks, dress shirt, and no tie. He was still carrying his coat on his arm. Winters in New England were certainly not for the faint of heart. CJ missed California on nights like this. 

"Sam and Toby are writing; Donna and Margaret are organizing." Josh replied. 

CJ said nothing and Leo would not quite look at her. She knew this was going to happen but it did not stop the lump from forming in her throat. Suddenly her head ached and her pulse raced. 

"May I join you?" Leo asked. 

"We're drinking." Josh said before he could stop himself. 

CJ looked at him and then back at Leo. The older man wouldn't look at her. What the hell, they had been drinking around Leo forever. Though CJ had curbed her intake when he was around by at least half...and it was always beer. 

"I'm fine Josh." Leo replied. 

He walked over to the couch CJ sat on. He stopped her when she tried to move, sliding his body under hers so that she was now lounging across his lap. Her smile was unmistakable as his hand rested on her hip. Josh handed him a Coke from the mini-fridge that was barely cold. The relationship between CJ and Leo was now public knowledge among the inner sanctum of the Bartlet staff. 

The night of the Democratic National Convention, after a run-in with John Hoynes, CJ hid out in the den of the Bartlet's hotel suite. Leo came in to comfort her, letting go of protocol and kissing her. The kisses turned serious...with the party blaring outside both figured it was safe. That is when everyone burst into the room. They were going to bring the party to Leo, but it was they who got the shock. CJ's blouse was open, and Leo was in a state of undress that no one ever spoke of again. 

After Leo gave the initial explanation, as CJ stood beside hoping the floor would swallow her whole, no one really talked of it again. Not even Toby, who had suspected all along, but looked beside himself when he saw the evidence with his own eyes. Leo and the Governor were in many huddles over the past six weeks; CJ's sixth sense told her they were not discussing White House strategy. 

Leo McGarry was still a married man, on paper. If the Governor was anything, it was holier than thou. Abbey Bartlet came down completely on CJ's side, having never been a fan of Jenny McGarry in the first place. Leo needed someone who could beat his demons back and stand up to him when times called for it. CJ was no shrinking violet. They fit perfectly, mismatched puzzle pieces that somehow locked. 

"Nothing makes a night complete like a lukewarm Coke." Leo said as his finger lazily circled CJ's hip. 

But for Josh in the room, she would have let out a lusty moan at the contact. He had trouble not touching her when she was close...if they made it to the White House he would have to adhere to a strict CJ-free diet during work hours. 

"Amen to that." Josh replied, leaning deeper in the chair. He was the only one really comfortable around the two of them as a couple. 

"Where were you tonight Leo?" CJ asked. 

He finally looked at her and smiled. 

"Spending some time with the Governor and Mrs. Bartlet. Then I went for a walk to clear my mind. It was a bit jumbled." 

"It is subzero out there." She replied. 

"You're such a West Coast chick." Josh said. 

"Chick!" CJ threw a bottle cap at him. "Shut up Josh." 

He laughed and so did she. Leo looked at them and hoped that after tomorrow they would still work hand and hand. Josh stood and stretched, groaning at the pain in his hip. 

"You alright?" Leo asked. 

"Josh fell out of a chair." CJ said. 

"Should I ask?" 

"One of the interns asked the date, I told her Halloween was two days ago, and she then asked if it was October 33rd." 

Leo could not hide his grin. Seeing it made Josh smile...the last week had no one in a laughing mood. 

"I should have been here for that." Leo said. 

"Josh falling out of the chair was funnier." CJ said. 

"That was what I meant." 

Josh licked his tongue at the both of them. 

"I'm calling it a night." He said. "Tomorrow is going to be insane, no matter which way it goes. CJ, we'll talk early?" 

CJ nodded as he left the room. They were alone now, except for Margaret, Donna, and the interns cleaning the office. They were on the other side of the building. CJ and Leo didn't speak and she drank her beer. 

"Want to tell me what you're thinking?" Leo asked. 

"Me?" 

"Uh uh, the other person in the room." Leo said with a smile. "Yeah you. Something is troubling you." 

CJ sat up on her elbows; Leo stopped tracing his fingers along her hip. 

"Can we go somewhere and talk Leo? Its important." 

"Are you alright?" 

"I don't want to discuss it here. Can we back to my room?" 

"Yeah." 

She stood from the couch, holding out her hand for him. Then she put her beer in the mini-fridge. She left her coat at the motel, so Leo gave her his. He ignored her protests that he did not need to aggravate his cold. He didn't have a cold anyway; but now was not the time to get into that. They held hands as they walked down the dark Concord street. It was after 11 and there were hardly any people out. Music and muffled voices could be heard inside local bars and clubs. 

"Walk faster Leo; you're going to freeze to death." She said. 

Leo slipped his arm around her and pulled her close. CJ kissed his temple. 

"I can't walk faster and you know it." 

"If you feel worse tomorrow morning I will feel so guilty." 

"Guilty enough to don a nurse's uniform and spoon feed me chicken soup?" Leo asked smiling. 

"Mmm hmm. You know you don't have to be sick for me to do that right...that sounds like fun." 

"I don't have a cold CJ." 

He said it as she fiddled with her key in the lock. She looked at him as the door opened. 

"What?" 

"Go inside." He pushed her gently over the threshold. 

CJ took off the coat and her shoes, stretching her long arms over her head. Leo admired her length as he leaned against the chest of drawers. 

"I am going to undress." She grabbed a tee shirt and shorts from the closet. 

"Yeah." 

"Tell me what you mean about your cold." She said. 

Leo was distracted as she stripped of everything, throwing on her pajamas. She brought Leo to her, unbuttoning his dress shirt. 

"I think its adorable that you think dressing down means no tie. I am going to buy you a pair of jeans Leo...I bet they would look so cute on you." 

"I fell off the wagon baby." 

He announced it as if he were predicting snow for the forecast tomorrow. CJ did not stop her task. Instead of being stunned into inaction, she was the opposite. If she stopped she would crumble, and Leo knew that. 

"When? What happened?" 

"It was the night the Governor got sick. I was campaigning for funds, and there was scotch on the table. Gibson must have asked me to drink it five times, and I turned him down, but he didn't stop. He told me to smell it, see how it had aged..." Leo's voice had turned lush and his upper lip was sweating. He cleared his throat. "CJ, I...I didn't want to, but I couldn't tell them that I was in recovery. I needed the funds for the Governor." 

"You have an illness Leo." She said. "It is not entirely your fault. Josh told us you were sick too; he covered for you." 

"Yeah. I'm starting all over again. I have been sober for three days." 

CJ nodded. 

"I love you." She said. 

Leo took her into his arms as his slacks fell in a puddle around his ankles. They held each other for a long time. He suspected she was crying and didn't want him to see. When he pulled away from her, CJ's eyes were dry. 

"I can't drag you..." he began. 

"Shut up. I am not leaving you, so just shut up." 

"OK." 

They sat down on the bed and Leo took her hand in his. He had no idea what she saw in him, why she didn't run from the room screaming and never looked back. 

"I wanted to keep it from you but I couldn't. I don't want us to be in a relationship where we hide things from one another. I spent too many years doing that. A lot of things could happen tomorrow CJ." 

She lay down on the bed, molding her body to his as he spooned behind her. Leo brushed her hair aside and his lips teased her neck. 

"We are going to lose, I'm afraid." She said. Not by much, because McCallum is going to steal our Independent voters, not Dobson. Of course, we could have a numbers victory while still losing the electorates in enough small states to add up. I don't think we'll sweep the South, though we will take Texas and Georgia. Florida is still up in the air...they like Dobson there." 

"You're sexy when you talk politics." Leo whispered. "Jed Bartlet has never lost an election." 

"No offense honey, but this is the big time, not the New Hampshire 4 Congressional." 

"He has never lost an election CJ." Leo repeated. 

"OK, then I am just doing my worst case scenario synopsis. He pays me to do it." 

"I understand. What will you do if we lose?" he asked. 

CJ shrugged. She would go back to PR, always loved the work. She would stay on the East Coast though...Toby said she could be taken seriously in New York City. It would bring her closer to her father too; she definitely needed to see him more. 

"Work in New York." She replied. 

"With Toby?" 

"Not with him, but we would be in the same city. We're back together and I don't want to lose him again. There is nothing left for me in LA. I don't like the idea of putting thousands of miles between us anymore." 

"What about you and I?" 

He spoke so low CJ was hardly sure of what he said. He slipped his hand under her tee shirt, caressing her stomach. CJ took in breath, relaxing under his touch. 

"What about us?" 

"CJ." 

Leo put his knee between her legs and pulled her closer. 

"I love you." She breathed. 

"Will you leave me?" he asked. 

"I'm going to New York Leo, not Damascus. I don't want to be too far away from any of you." 

"But I..." 

"You're still married." She said, sliding her hand over his and pushing it down into her shorts. "Contrary to the beautiful thing happening here right now." 

Leo ran his fingers through the hair between her thighs and CJ bit her lip. 

"I'll be divorced by Christmas. The paperwork is all ready to go CJ." 

"You're telling me that you want to jump back into a marriage. Uhh...Leo." 

"Of course not. I don't want you to leave me either. I thought this was about more than campaign sex." His thumb brushed her clit. 

CJ pushed back into his chest. 

"You know that it is. Oh God, do that again." 

Leo did, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. CJ shouted his name as her lower body shuddered. He slipped his fingers inside of her as his other hand lazily massaged her breast. 

"I want you so much Claudia Jean. Whether we win or not tomorrow, I won't let you leave my life." 

"Pro...oh God, promise me." 

"I promise." 

CJ bucked her hips as he thrust harder, whimpering with her orgasm. Leo stroked her gently as he brought her down. She sighed when he kissed the special spot behind her ear. Turning around in his arms, CJ kissed him passionately and threw her leg over him. He was on fire...their mouths practically burned each other. 

"Would you marry me, if I asked?" Leo asked when their mouths parted. 

"Hell yes, but now is not the time. Get rid of the boxers Leo." 

He smiled as she took the elastic and pulled then down as far as her arms could go. Yeah, he was on fire. He told her how much she meant to him as he thrust in and out of her. CJ caressed his face, watching as his looks of bliss matched her sounds. Leo remained on top of her after he came, and CJ rubbed his back while his breathing returned to normal. 

"He won't lose tomorrow." Leo said. 

"It'll complicate things...lovers in the White House. I will be your employee." 

"Yeah. I am not going to lie and say it will be a cakewalk. Its going to be hard." 

"You haven't told me that you love me tonight." She said. 

"I do baby. You know I do." 

"Say it Leo." 

"I love you." He turned her face, kissing the tears away. CJ rarely cried...this was most likely residual from her rapture. She cried sometimes when they made love, and that made Leo's heart burst for her. 

"OK." She curled in his arms, wrapping her body around his. 

She had a fear that would not leave her gut. If they worked together, the relationship would fall apart. How could it not with the pressures of the DC fish bowl? How could he not be tempted to drink again? It would bring him down in a minute, but sickness always manifested itself at the worse time. She wanted to love Leo, comfort him, and shield him from all terrible things. She also had to work with Sam, Toby, Josh, and even the Governor...CJ never wanted it to be assumed that Leo would play favorites. 

"Are you alright Leo?" she asked suddenly. 

He looked down at her, assuming she was asleep. Almost 45 minutes had gone by; he had turned the lights out. 

"I am not craving alcohol if that is what you're asking me." 

"No, I am asking you if you are alright." 

"Yeah." 

He was wearing the mask again and as much as CJ hated it, she had to trust his love for her enough to believe he would remove it when she needed him to. 

"I have another uphill battle ahead; there doesn't seem to be a time when I don't. I won't be able to assess the future until the Election is over." 

"So," she pulled him closer. "October 35th is going to be a pretty big day for you huh?" 

Leo laughed, and it sounded joyous. He pressed his lips to hers. 

"It looks that way...I wish November would just come already." 

***


End file.
